


A New Life in a Town of Halloween

by imasouleater



Category: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Like super small a one part in like ch 1, Original Character - Freeform, Violence, just a small warning of molestation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 16:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11339439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imasouleater/pseuds/imasouleater
Summary: Cassandra always has always had the horrible life. Her mom died and her father was a drunk and very abusive. When she finally runs away, she finds the holiday doors. She goes into the one piquing her interest, not knowing of a better future, but Oogie wants to ruin everything like always! OCxBarrel, JackxSally, LockxShock Some warnings inside.  Based on the game and is rated T for now.





	1. The Doors

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I’ve made for fun and frankly, mostly for me, but I wanted to post it so that others could enjoy it. It was an idea based on how much I myself want to live in this kind of world, but with more adventure. Kind of like my own sequel I suppose that mixes with the game. I hope you like it! This has bits and pieces that were inspired by the video game. *I do NOT own the Nightmare before Christmas, the game, or its characters.*

** (Also be warned: abuse and a tiny bit of molestation. When I say TINY I mean REALLY TINY so don't worry too much about it. Just know that is there. I'll put a warning before and after where it will happen so you know. It will only be in this chapter unless something changes.) **

** Chapter 1: The Doors **

“Hey kid! Get your lazy ass out of your room and go pick me up some goddamn dinner!” an angry voice bellowed from the living room. Jumping quickly off her bed, Cassandra slipped on her shoes and her jacket then walked out to the living room. She avoided her father’s gaze that she knew was on her as she walked to the front door. She could hear the football game blasting from the T.V and from what it sounded like, the team her father had bet on was losing, which usually meant a bad night. _Please don’t say anything, please don’t say anything._

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going huh?!” She froze where she stood with her hand on the door knob. She heard him get off the couch and make his way toward her, a calloused hand grasping her shoulder.

“T-to get dinner? Just like you asked,” she replied keeping her eyes on the door. He squeezed her shoulder and leaned forward close enough to already smell the liquor under his breath.

“Did I tell you what I fucking wanted yet?! Did I tell you where to go?” he grumbled angrily. She gulped and shook her head.

“That’s right! I didn’t! Maybe I should punish you for not tryin’ to listen to me…”

“NO NO no!” she screeched desperately recoiling from his touch. “I’ll get you what you want! I promise not to do that again!” Her hand tightened around the door knob, tight enough for her fingers to turn white.

“Heh, you better not,” he said as he finally let go and turned to go sit back on the couch. “I want you to go to McDonalds and grab me a couple of burgers. Make sure they don’t have pickles!”

“Ok dad! I’ll be back soon!” she quickly said before speeding out the door and down the road towards the restaurant. An icy wind blew her long black hair into her face and sent goosebumps up her arms. She swiped the strands of hair away from her eyes to see angry black clouds in the distance. They seemed to be coming from the direction of the forest, which was down the way from her apartment complex. The setting sun made them look scary and the distant sound of thunder wasn’t helping. She picked up her pace to get the food before the storm could come.

 _That was a close one Cass,_ she thought to herself _. Let’s avoid that next time. Let’s try to avoid this storm too. McDonalds again huh? I should have guessed. It seems to be all we eat lately. Maybe it will be all we eat in the next few weeks since it looks like my dad’s gonna lose that gambling bet he made on that team. What was he thinking!?_

She sighed at her thoughts as she entered the fast food establishment. The smell of greasy fries and fake burgers wafted in the air. There was usually the sound of little kids giggling at their new plastic toys from their happy meals or from playing outside in the playground, but today the place looked deserted. Well except the drive through, of course. Must be the weather that’s coming.

She had ordered the food quickly and then sat down at a booth to wait. While staring out of the window, she noticed the sun was almost set beneath the horizon. The world outside kept in twilight until finally it would disappear. She looked down at her hands that were resting on the table and stared at the bracelet around her wrist. Black and orange skull-shaped beads hung from a thin, worn out string. A big silver pumpkin charm in the middle, looked at her with its scary grin and it made her grin right back at it.

 _Mom._ When Cassandra was 8 years old, her mother had passed away due to cancer. She was a lovely lady with so much compassion and humor, and she loved the two of them very much. Her favorite holiday was Halloween and Cassandra loved it just as much. As a gift, she gave Cassandra the bracelet to remember her by, as she had a matching pair. When she died, however, things had changed dramatically.

It has been tough on her little family of two since then. Her father plunged into a depression and drank himself away every night. His anger issues had gotten more and more frequent until he was always angry. He would take out his pain on her and since they didn’t have much of a family to begin with, no one knew about the abuse he put her through.  Makeup was her best friend when she went out.

She had bruises on her arms and shoulders from all the times he has grabbed her too tightly. A few cuts and busted lips every now and again may appear. At one point when he was really plastered, things got too physical in the way it shouldn’t have been, but luckily it didn’t go too far. Ever since then, however, she has been too afraid to ever be in the same room as him. Especially now that she was 19 and looks so much like her mother, he seemed to be getting a little too comfortable with her. She had tried the police before a couple years back, but they didn’t believe her since she was young and it made her dad really angry. All she could do is go through this alone with all the bravery she had.

Friends were scarce when she was in school. They thought she was too weird, too different to hang around. Sometimes they would pick on her for that. She had graduated high school with no one to celebrate it with, and since her father drank away their money all the time, there wasn’t enough to help pay for college. They barely had enough to live in the small apartment they live in now. She would always try to go find a job, but her dad always made sure she didn’t go anywhere.

Even though she went through so much suffering, her pure heart never changed. She was always kind to everyone and she never forgot what love felt like even if it had been so long she had felt it. The one thing that comforted her and reminded her of that love when in really tough times, was the thought of her beautiful mother and an old picture of her in that breathtaking witch costume they had both made together for Halloween when she was 5. At her side was Cassie in a small cat costume holding an orange, plastic pumpkin as they both walked hand in hand down the street. This memory always made her smile as it faded away back into her mind. _Please come back. I miss you._

She shook herself out of her daze and looked over at the counter where a scrawny teenage boy was placing her bag of food down. He waved her over and she took the food with a quick thank you. She left the restaurant in a hurry, hoping to make it home before the storm and before her dad could get too mad. Luckily she did make it in time. Raindrops were beginning to drizzle down from the sky. She quickly set the food on the table for her father to get and she took a plate of her food back to her room where she could be away from her father.

Just as she was about to take off her shoes, his voice boomed her name from the kitchen. _Aw man! What did I do?_ She hesitantly made her way to the kitchen to find him looking at his burgers in disgust.

“Yes dad?” she squeaked. His beady eyes looked up at her angrily. She could smell the liquor from where she stood now. He was extra drunk tonight.

“What the fuck did I say to you, you little bitch?!”

“A-about what?” He growled as he threw the burger at her, ketchup staining her shirt.

“I fucking said ‘Make sure they don’t have pickles’! And what the fuck do you think I find?! Huh!?”

“P-p-pickles?” She looked down at her wringing hands in fear.

“That’s right! I guess since you don’t every fucking listen to me, I’m going to have to punish you!” he said as he began to unbuckle his belt. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him pleadingly.

“NO DAD! I SWEAR I TOLD THEM NO PICKLES! I SWEAR I DID!!! PLEASE GOD DON’T HURT ME!!! NOT AGAIN!” she screamed as she ran to her bedroom. She had luckily made it in time to lock the door. He pounded at the door and roared for her to open it. With tears streaming down her face, she backed away from the door with hands over her ears. The thunder boomed outside and the rain was pouring down on the roof and against her window. The wind howled against the trees out her window. Everything was so loud and the fear in her had exploded. She sat on her bed sobbing, praying he would tire himself out like last time.

She looked down at her hands to see the faded bruises of past touches and the bracelet hanging from her wrist. _Mom! Help me!_ She shut her eyes tightly as the door was still being shaken from the other side. Her mother’s memory giving her some comfort. _What did I do to deserve this?!_

What did she do? She couldn’t recall ever doing anything bad! Suddenly a memory of a school presentation based on abusive relationships appeared in her head. She remembered the things they said about how the victims feel and why they usually stay. Frankly, she always thought it was her fault for him being this way. That she didn’t make him happy enough and that she deserved the punishments. With that thought, her eyes snapped open in realization. It was never her fault! She didn’t deserve any of this! She even felt kind of stupid for even thinking those things. Now that she was 19 years old, she can leave and be free!

“I’m leaving,” she whispered to herself. She flashes across her room to her closet where she grabbed her old gym bag. The insignia was of an old martial arts class she had taken a long time ago as a kid. _That’s right! I…I know how to fight back!!!_ She had gotten very far in her classes until she had to stop because of her mother’s death. She never used any moves because she couldn’t hurt the only family she had. Over time she had forgotten a big portion of her moves, but she knows they have been burned into her conscious for times like this. All she was, was a little rusty.

Bouncing around her room, she filled her bag with as many of her things she had. In an old shoebox was a small wad of cash she hid for a possible moment like this since this isn’t the only time she thought of running away. She put a few memorable things, like photographs along with a book for entertainment. The last thing she put was the food she hadn’t eaten yet. Just as she zipped up her bag, the door burst open, slamming into the wall. Her heart stopped as she turned to see her hot-headed father standing in the door way holding a hammer. He had made a hole in the door to reach the door knob. He let it slip from his fingers, letting it hit the ground with a thud.

He swayed a little before stumbling into her room and reaching his arms out for her. She was backed into the bed, fear creeping into her heart. He ran at her and his hands wrapped around her neck and they squeezed.

“YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE WHORE!” he roared in her face. The lack of air made her thoughts foggy as she tried hitting his chest for him to let go. He only squeezed harder and pinned her to the bed. “BUT NOW, NOW YOU’LL LISTEN!! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA LEAVE! YOU BELONG TO ME!!!”

**(Trigger alert)**

            “L-et g-o” she wheezed. She felt one hand let go, but it only travelled down her body. _OH GOD NO! IT’S JUST LIKE LAST TIME!_ He unbuttoned her black jeans and reached his hand in. She felt absolutely disgusted and tried wriggling out of his grip. He chuckled darkly to himself as he watched her wriggle like a worm. When she turned her head, her eyes caught sight of her bag laying on the floor waiting for her. The anger in her flared and she remembered what she needed to do!

**(OK you’re good.)**

“I DON’T BELONG TO YOU!” she growled between clenched teeth.

With free hand, she grabbed one of his fingers from her neck and pulled it back the opposite way then the other fingers were pointed. She stopped when she heard a crack and he pulled his hand away, holding it to his chest while howling in pain. While he was distracted, she scooted back and bent her right foot to her chest.

“I NEVER BELONGED TO YOU!!!!” When he looked her in the eyes, she pushed her foot forward with all her might, kicking him square in the face. He stumbled back and fell to the ground holding his now broken nose. She quickly fixed herself, grabbed her bag and tried to make her way to the door, but her dad was in the way kneeling on floor. He was looking at her with crazy eyes, and veins popping out on his forehead.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!!?” he fumed. Her whole demeanor changed when he looked at her, however. Her eyes were filled with disgust and pity. Her eyebrows scrunched up in anger and her hands were balled in fists. It was obvious she wasn’t the scared, frail little girl he once knew anymore.

“I AM OLD ENOUGH TO MAKE MY OWN CHOICES AND I AM DONE WITH PUTTING UP WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!!!! I HAVE LIVED MY MISERABLE LIFE WITH YOU, A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A FATHER AND I AM DONE! **DONE!!!** DO _YOU_ HEAR ME!?!” she screamed at him. He wobbly stood up and shook his head.

“No…NO!!!” He wanted the power back. He wanted the power over her back.

She grit her teeth. “I’m sorry dad, but I am leaving! And I AM NOT COMING BACK!” With that said, he tried run at her again she held her stance strongly and pulled back her fist. When he got close enough, she released her hand hitting him right in the jaw with a loud crack. His body turned from the force, and he hit the wall behind him hard where finally, he slid to the floor unconscious. When he was down, she almost woke up from a trance and gasped at the work she did.

“Whoa!” she whispered, amazed for the first time of what she could do. She ran out of the room to the kitchen to grab any food that she could get. With a heavy heart and heavy bag, she ran out of the apartment and out into the storm. Forgetting that it was pouring out, she blindly ran into the dark and into the forest. She knew that if he had stumbled out to find her, that’s the place he wouldn’t dare to go. He didn’t like the forest and he never allowed her to go there.

The wind whipped past her fast and the slanted rain soaked her to the bone. The cold night air made her feel numb as lightening flashed and thunder roared. She ran and ran, deeper and deeper past the trees, with hardly any light guiding her. After running into one, she slipped and scraped her hand on the bark and felt a warmth trickle down her fingers, but she ignored it. Her legs burned and her lungs screamed at her to stop, but she kept on going, not fully sure where, but anywhere other than back there. Finally after 10 minutes of running, the adrenaline had escaped her system and she felt too tired to keep going. She slowed to a stop, gasping for breath then fell to her knees in exhaustion. The crash was setting in and after a moment, she fell forward in to the mud and drifted off into a deep sleep.

 

 

Eyes fluttered open when the soft light of morning shined on the forest. From the looks of it, the sun was barely rising. The first thing Cassandra saw was mud and blades of grass. Lifting her head, she wondered where she was and saw only trees. She sat up feeling sore, dirty, and gross. Her clothes were still soaked and covered in mud. Her hair was a mess and she had a dirty cut on her palm. After a minute of total confusion, a tidal wave of memories helped her remember.

She had finally escaped the hell hole she used to call home and now she was deep in the forest trying to get away. She had to start a new life when she would find civilization again, but for now she was going to admire the calm beauty of the forest. She looked in her bag to find her stuff still in good shape and she was about to grab an apple when she something caught her eye.

Looking up, she noticed she was sitting in the middle of a circle of trees, but what was odd was each tree had paintings on them and at the foot of the tree was certain objects. Despite the storm that had happened, they looked untouched. Scanning the trees from left to right, she noticed a certain patterns. It was confirmed when she saw the tree with a Christmas tree painted on it. She stood up, wrapped her bag around her shoulders and stared in amazement.

“They’re…representing the holidays!” she exclaimed while wiping the mud off of her as best as she could then zipped her bag back up. A heart represents Valentine’s Day, the clover is for St. Patrick’s Day, the Easter egg for Easter, more. “But where is Hallo-“she spun around and stared at a tree with a big orange pumpkin painted at head height on it, “-ween”. Walking closer to it, she noticed the triangular nose was actually popping out of the tree. It almost looked like…

“A doorknob?” she questioned aloud as she reached out to touch it. As she took a quick step toward it, the mud beneath her feet made her slip forward causing her to collide with the tree with a strange thud. She pulled away after gaining her footing again and raised an eyebrow. _Is this thing hallow?_ She knocked on the wood and heard the echo inside.

“Maybe this _is_ a door,” she said once again reaching for the nose. She turned the squeaky knob and after a couple hard tugs, the pumpkin face swung out and opened like a door. She hesitantly peered inside only to see empty darkness and possibly a long way down. What was also weird about this was a breeze coming from the darkness below her and the fact that there was probably a long way down to begin with. Even though this peaked her curiosity, she was a little frightened, so she pulled away from the door, but never closed it. _What is down there?_

_Snap!_

She whipped her head and turned to look towards the direction of the sound. Her heart stopping at the thought of her dad somehow finding her. Relief washed over as she realized it was just a nearby dear walking in the distance. As she chuckled to herself, the strange breeze from the tree blew stronger and it seemed to wrap around her. Autumn like leaves swirled in the wind around her. Panic overtook her as it almost seemed to carry her and pull her into the opening. She tried desperately to grab the sides of tree to stop her from going inside but to no avail. The wind was too strong!

“NO!” she grunted. The wind pulled once more, causing her to trip over the bottom of the door and with a scream she fell into the darkness. The door shutting close behind her.


	2. Where Is This?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra has just escaped her abusive home and has come across a circle of trees with holiday doors on the trunks. After opening the Halloween holiday door, she is sucked in by an unknown force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa fight scenes are not exactly my forte. Whoops!

** Chapter 2: Where Is This?! **

The darkness seemed like it was never going to end! Cool air rushed past her ears as she twisted and fumbled around in the air till she was in a fetal position, all while clutching her bag to her for dear life. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and it was so dark that she couldn’t see her hands in front of her face or anything below her. _How is all this possible! I’m going to die! I don’t want to die,_ she thought in fear. She had stopped screaming at this point since her throat started hurting and she felt like she was going to go insane in the dark.

That is until she felt something small, dry, and thin smack her in the face causing her to shriek. She reached up quickly to grab it and felt it crunch in her hand. Just as she was about to let it go, a soft glow of light appeared beneath her, revealing a dry leaf in her hand. She glanced down to find the source and saw a white dot of light ascending closer. Surveying her surroundings, she saw nothing but darkness and autumn leaves swirling around her in the wind. As the light grew closer, a small wooden sign with _Halloween Town_ written on it slowly rose past her. _What is this?!_

Suddenly the light brightened the world around her and she was blinded for a second. _This is the end!_ Just as fast as it came, the light disappeared and the wind had slowed down significantly. She had a second to get her eyes used to her surroundings before realizing that she wasn’t in darkness anymore or falling for that matter. She was slowly floating down while frozen in her fetal position, a couple feet above a dirt floor with dull sunlight shining down at her through wispy, gray clouds.

 _Am I dead? Am I in heaven?_ Hesitantly, she stretched a leg down to gently touch the floor, almost to check to see if it was real. When her toe deemed it solid, she fully stepped on the ground and whatever was making her float, shifted her body slowly forward till she was standing upright. She stared up to see where she was falling from, expecting to see the darkness, but only saw a gray, outcast sky. _That’s impossible!!! This is all just IMPOSSIBLE!!!_

“What the hell?! Where…how…I don’t…” she stuttered flabbergasted. Her mind was all over the place with questions. She spun around to look at her surroundings and it only made her more confused. She was standing atop a hill that overlooked a giant graveyard on one side and a bridge that led to a forest on the other. Everything was unfamiliar to any place she knew of on earth. The landscape, including the sky was brown, gray and dead.

“Where am I?!” From where she stood, she could see the silhouette of a city in the distance. _Maybe I can find some help there!_ Slowly, she made her way down the hill and toward the graveyard while glancing around cautiously. She brought her hand up to smooth her hair back and away from her face like she always did when, but she pulled it away quickly with a hiss. Looking down at her hand she saw the forgotten dirty scrape from the night before on her palm. _She_ reached into her bag and found a water bottle and a napkin. After she cleaned her cut and had put a band aid on it, she continued walking along the path. She had always kept a box of band aids in her room in case her dad ever got too violent.

“T-this is all too weird!” she exclaimed as she continued onto a path through a pumpkin patch. After a couple minutes of almost getting lost, she walked through an iron gate that lead to the massive graveyard. “This place is freaking huge!” she whispered to herself as she passed by dozens of graves and tombstones. She even noticed a few stone mausoleums with horrifying gargoyles crouching over the entrances. Spider webs that draped over them glistened in the sunlight. Rats and spiders would skitter across the floor.

She walked across a rickety wooden bridge then through another small iron gate that led to more graves. To her left, she could see a giant twisted dead tree with no leaves in the distance surrounded by more graves. To her right was yet another iron gate with a skull shape on top that seemed to lead towards the town. _Some civilization!_

“This has to be a dream! ...Right?!” She made her way to the gate and was about to walk through it, when she heard a wispy sound. Slowly, she turned around to see a white shape floating in the air. It looked like a dog with a long snout, but made out of blanket. A transparent white dog that was floating in mid-air. A ghost dog. She gasped in surprise and felt frozen to the spot. _A ghost?! Shit, what should I do?!_

The dog turned its head towards her and barked before floating her way. It hovered before her with what seemed like a happy expression. It was hard to tell since it didn’t have a tail, but it looked like it smiled at her. Its black eye sockets just stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge it. _It’s…actually kind of cute. Maybe it won’t hurt me._ She reached out hesitantly to pet it and found that she could touch him. She could feel a cool breeze go up her arm as she continued to pet him. He nuzzled his head into her touch and the tip of his nose began to glow. It was orange and it had the face of a pumpkin on it.

“G-good puppy,” she said softly. She looked under his head to see a red collar, but no name tag. From the corner of her eye, she could see a small gravestone. It was in the shape of a doghouse with a cross on the top and it had a dogs head in the opening. It was surrounded by a little gate and it read _ZERO_ above the dog head.

“I-is your name Zero?” she asked it, not really sure if it could understand her. It barked in response and nodded its head.

“You can understand me!” Again it nodded.

“Can you help me get out of here?” It barked and floated through the gate and towards the town. It would stop and wait for her if he went too far. She followed him hastily, happy to see the dog was there to help. After walking for 5 minutes, they finally made it to a strange looking gate that was closed between them and the town. The iron bars were sharp and weirdly shaped. A small stone shack resided on the other side of the gate with a small wooden sign that read, _Gate Keeper_ , hanging at the top.

Peeking through the bars, she surveyed what she assumed was the town square, but was confused at how empty it was. She walked closer to the gate keepers hut and tried knocking on its wall through the bars.

“Hello?! Excuse me! Is anyone there?” she shouted hoping for an answer. When she didn’t receive one, she sighed in frustration. _How can I get in? Maybe I can climb over a wall or something. Or maybe I could-._ Barking interrupted her train of thought and caught her attention. Zero had poked his head out of the gate and motioned his head for her to follow. She walked over to notice a big gap in the middle. _Or we can take the easy way._ Her cheeks turned pink in slight embarrassment as she climbed through the gate.

In the middle of the town square, there lay a small fountain that spouted out green, sparkly water from a stone beast’s mouth. The architecture of the whole town was odd and gray with spikes, curls, and monster faces. It was something she had never seen before. However odd it may be, there still should have been people walking around, but there was no one in sight. There was one giant building that stood behind the fountain with giant columns and a clock near the top. The clock had a spider web design and a countdown bar that said _Days till Halloween_. According to the countdown, Halloween was only 10 days away. _That’s right! I almost forgot!_

She stepped up to the fountain and stared at her reflection. _EW! I look terrible!_ She set her bag down and was about to reach in to clean up a little when she heard rocks breaking and the ground shaking. She whipped her head to see a dirty, oddly shaped skeleton standing a few feet away from the fountain.

 _What the hell is that?!_ It wobbled back and forth almost unsteady then stopped moving when it saw her. It gave a loud roar at her then hunched over and began wobbly walking toward her ready to attack. With a yelp, she stepped back and turned to run, but bumped straight into another skeleton. Eyes widening in fear, she was able to dip out of the way in time as it swiped at the spot she was just standing in.

“Help! Someone! Please!” she shouted. She looked around to find anywhere to hide, but didn’t know this town well enough. She also tried to find something to use to defend herself, but all she found was some big chunks of the concrete wall and to her luck a small spear made of a broken iron-gate piece. _That will have to do!_ She quickly ran and grabbed her makeshift weapons. “Bring it on you boney fuckers!” _They were pretty slow, but she knew they could sneak up on her if she didn’t pay attention._

She charged forward and around them and used their slow speed to her advantage. She got close enough behind one before it turned to plunge the spear through the empty spaces of its body and lodged it to catch onto the bones. She used all of her strength to pull it upward and away onto the ground. She found their bone bodies to be pretty light. While it was still down, she rushed over to its body and used one of the concrete chunks to break the skull into pieces. This proved to be useful as the rest of the body disintegrated into dust.

She looked over just in time to see another skeleton spin its body like a top and push her down. She reached for the spear and quickly got up into a crouch just as it was above her. She used that to her advantage and hooked the spear onto its ribs to pull it down with her then used the momentum to kick it off her. She quickly got back on her feet and stabbed the spear into its skull with all her might. Just like the last, it stopped moving and turned to dust, but ended up getting the spear stuck into the ground. With all the fighting happening she didn’t hear more skeletons spawn till she turned and one was close enough for it to swipe at her chest.  She barely backed away in time as a claw shred through the cotton on her shirt and left small cuts on her skin.

She stumbled back and looked at the damage for a second then looked up in time to see it about to swipe again. She caught its arm in time and held her stance, pulled back her fist, then let it go. It collided with its head, but not enough to damage it only to stun it. If anything she hurt herself, but she fought the numbed pain away. She instead brought her other hand up to join the one clutching the arm, spun around used her body core to flip the skeleton over shoulder and onto the floor. The concrete block she used before was still there, so she grabbed it before the monster could stand up and smashed the skull in like before.

She raised her hand to hit one more time until bony fingers grasped her wrist. She whipped her head up to see another even more jagged skeleton holding a weapon that looked like a long bone. This thing was bigger and it looked stronger. It lifted her up as if she didn’t weigh anything then threw her across the courtyard. She hit the ground hard and rolled a couple times across the stone floor. Her bottom lip was stinging and she was probably bleeding somewhere.

“Augh! FUCK!” she groaned. She rolled onto her belly to get up, but looked up to see 2 more skeletons like the one that threw her raise their weapon. She rolled away both times they tried to hit her, but was now stuck in a corner by the fountain that she couldn’t escape. She shut her eyes and curled into herself, bringing her hands up to block her head. The expected attack never came however. There was a sound of a gooey whip, a cracking noise, and a thud. She looked up to see a headless skeleton body fallen on the floor in front of her and the other attacker looking over at her savior standing a few feet away. It was another skeleton, but it was different than the other ones.

The first thing she noticed was it was extremely tall and thin. His head was more round and white while the others were more jagged and dirty. It was also wearing a black and white pin striped suit with a bat bowtie. There was a green slimy thing wrapped around his wrist and the skull of her enemy in his hand. His hand squished the skull into dust and the body followed suit. As her attacker turned to attack him, the clothed skeleton threw the green slime around his wrist like a whip and began throwing the enemy against the ground till it too broke into pieces. Her savior finally looked over at her, his expression softening from anger to worry as he ran over to her side. She tried getting on her knees, but hissed and noticed she scraped through her pants and on her knees.

“Ow! Shit!” she cried out. Her hands were scraped too and she felt some fingers in her right hand were cracked and scratched from that punch earlier. Now that the adrenaline was fading away, the pain was kicking in. Footsteps made their way towards her and a pair of tiny black shoes stood in front of her. She looked up to the giant and gaped at him. He bent over and held out a long arm to offer his hand down to her.

“My goodness!!! Are you ok miss?!” he asked worriedly. She looked at his bony hand then back at him. Words failed her in her shock so she stuck to nodding. She took his hand hesitantly then he helped her stand up. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she watched him walk over to grab her bag. _I must be dreaming…or dead! It’s a walking talking skeleton! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!_ He strode over and handed her the bag.

“I am terribly sorry for all of this miss! I’m afraid you’ve come to Halloween Town at a terrible time!” he exclaimed as she took it. She blinked in confusion at what he said.

“I-I’m sorry…where?!” she asked bewildered.

“Halloween Town. You do know where you are, don’t you?” he asked arching his brow bone, which should be impossible. Again blinking at his response, she looked around and began chuckling. It sounded too corny and too fake for it to be true.

“Oh man! This is great! This- this is all just a dream! A weird dream or hell maybe I’m dead! This was what my brain or god could come up with! I’ll probably wake up any moment now!” she cackled to herself.

“But miss, this isn’t a dream. I’m afraid it’s all too real!” Her laughter died down as she realized he was serious. They turned their heads towards the sound of unlocking doors. The doors over at the column building opened slowly and creatures from the likes of nightmares began to spill out into the courtyard. With eyes wide, she watched as a werewolf, a fat clown on a tricycle, a Frankenstein girl, a tree with hanging skeleton men, and so many odd and scary monsters reveal themselves.

“Welcome to Halloween Town!” the tall skeleton exclaimed excitedly gesturing to the creatures. _I don’t believe this._ The blood drained from her face and she felt dizzy. The bag dropped from her grip and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

“Miss? Are you alright?” Her knees buckled beneath her and darkness swept across her vision. “Miss!” The last thing she saw was the skeleton reaching out to catch her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy what will happen next?!


	3. A New Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving at a new town and possibly new world, Cassandra is attacked by skeletons and is even saved by one in a pinstripe suit. She then learns that she is in a town filled with terrifying monsters that you only see in scary movies! What will happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendship is great, but broken bones aren't. Whoa descriptions are hard.

** Chapter 3: A New Friend **

_“Mommy I’m scared!” a timid voice whimpered in the darkness._

_“It’s ok my child. They won’t hurt you! They’re nice monsters!” replied a soft, comforting voice._

_“T-they are?”_

_“Of course baby. You have to be brave at times like this! Be brave not only for your sake, but for others too ok!”_

_“Ok momma! I will!”_

The voices echoed away in Cassandra’s head as she stirred awake. A dream? Yeah. It was a dream. In the dream she saw her mother standing on their porch in her witch costume with her familiar smile. A cauldron of candy at her feet. Cassandra started to cry as she tried to hug her, but her mom stopped her. Telling her that the moment wasn’t right yet but it would be soon. Those words spoken right before Cassandra woke up. Teary eyes fluttered open to a black wooden ceiling, the orange setting sun shining through a window on her feet.

She sat up slowly, while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. _Where am I? Augh! I’m dizzy._ She was lying on a black velvet vintage lounge chair in what looked like a small living room. The gray and white striped wallpaper was peeling off the wall and there was spider webs strewn across the corners of the ceiling. There were a couple of small lights and hanging portraits on the walls, but she didn’t have the energy to actually look at them.

Beneath her feet was black creaky, and dusty floorboards and she could’ve sworn she saw a bug antenna peek out from under the couch, but she chose to ignore it. Next to her was a small black lamp table that held a black spider themed lamp that may not have been a decoration. Across from the chair was a medium sized black coffin coffee table that held her bag and a tall glass of water on top of it. How macabre and if it were any other moment, it would’ve appealed to her. Despite how green it looked, she took the water and chugged it down, feeling a bit better that she did. On the opposite side of her was a door and next to it a set of stairs going down into the floor.

“Ow!” she groaned. Her whole body hurt, especially her hand and she looked down to find it bandaged up. She must have broken some bones or something because it didn’t feel like any sprain she ever had. “What happe-?” She looked up at the window on the wall to her right and remembered. The skeletons, the fighting, the…monsters. Carefully, she stood up on sore feet and limped to the window, but the only view she had was of the small dead tree right in front of her, the distant graveyard and part of the city. The other window on the other side only gave the same result. As she was still recalling the events, she could hear a rumbling outside, as if a lot of people were talking right outside the house.

The front doorway was down the set of stairs she saw earlier, but upon closer inspection she found it was a very thin door. _What could possibly walk through that? How did I get in? How do I get out?!_ She climbed back up to the couch and looked around in a panic to find another way out. In the corner of the room, there was a black iron spiral staircase, however after striding over to see it, she looked up the staircase and was shocked on how high it was going. _Ok. So that’s not going to go outside._ She looked over at the door that was across from the chair she was previously laying on, then walked towards it. Above it, she noticed a small window that she was too short to look through. She pulled the door open slowly and found it lead to a small wooden balcony. The voices were louder and as she carefully walked closer to the edge, she could see a giant crowd of monsters talking amongst themselves in excitement.

The iron-gate and the tall skeleton man were the only things keeping them from storming inside. They were murmuring their curiosities about the newcomer who was not only alive, but human! The skeleton was trying to calm them down and trying to tell them to go home, but they wanted to see the living girl. A small, round kid with sewn shut eyes noticed her presence and pointed up at her.

“There she is!” he shouted in excitement. Everyone looked up at her and starting yelling for her to come down. Taken back and afraid, she backed away and quickly walked back inside. She bit her lip nervously as she closed the door.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered to herself. Just as she calmed down a bit, she heard the click of the front doorknob turning. _Someone’s coming!_ She ran back to the chair and grabbed her bag with one hand ready to swing at whoever would come near. The door opened and in walked the skeleton man. His thin body slipped through the thin doorway easily.

“Hello?” he called out. He walked up the stairs and stopped when he saw her with the bag in her hands. Wide blue eyes met black eye sockets. “Uh miss…you can calm down now! I won’t hurt you! No one will!” She looked at her bag then at him.

“Not until you tell me what the HELL is going on?! Where am I?! Who are you?! How are you moving and talking?!”

“Please just-“

“No! I fall into a door in a tree and I end up here! I get attacked by skeletons and find myself surrounded by monsters!!! This is all just impossible!!!” she shouted. Her body was shaking and her heart was hammering in her chest. He moved his arms in a downward motion to try and calm her down.

“It’s going to be ok! Please put the bag down and relax. You’ll only hurt yourself more! I’ll try and answer your questions the best that I can. Now take a deep breath!” he reassured her as he walked closer. She looked at her bag then at him. _He seems like he’s telling the truth and doesn’t look like he wants to hurt me. I guess… he did save me too._ She took a deep breath in as she let her bag hang at her side before letting it go. She plopped onto the couch with a defeated sigh and rested her face in the one good hand she had. He tilted his head and slowly made his way toward her to sit across from her on the table.

“How are you feeling miss?”

“Physically or mentally?” she replied shakily while looking up at him. Her broken hand gently reaching up to brush her hair back.

“Both preferably.”

“Physically not that great, mentally at this point I don’t know! This is all too weird! I mean it’s all kinda cool in its own creepy way, but it’s impossible. I-I have to be dreaming or dead! I mean I’m talking to a skeleton in a suit for Pete’s sake,” she gestures to him.

“I am very sorry for the way you are feeling! You must be in some pain and confusion.”

“A lot of confusion,” she corrected him. “The pain in my hand is getting there.”

“We will get your injuries looked at in no time. You don’t have to be scared, although I’d prefer you were.” Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

“Why is that?” she asked cautiously.

“Scaring people is what I do best! I am the ‘Pumpkin King’ after all!” he exclaimed dramatically with lots of arm movements.

“’Pumpkin King’?” His long arms dropped in disappointment.

“Wow you really don’t know where you are, do you?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying here!” she snaps. After a moment, she sighs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I promise I’m a lot nicer when I’m not scared.”

“It’s quite alright! I understand! You’re in Halloween Town of course! My wonderfully terrifying town! The best place for scares, thrills and chills! Halloween is what we do best and I, the ‘Pumpkin King’ am the best at it all!”

“Halloween Town? Like the holiday? I have never heard of this place!”

“It looks very much like you’re from a different world. The human world correct?” he asks. She only nods since that made some sense to her. “I think I understand now, but don’t worry everything will be ok! You’re in good hands!”

“So scaring is all you do? You don’t hurt anybody do you?”

“Of course not! My people and I only love to give a good scare! That and celebrating Halloween!

“While that sounds like a blast, when you say, “my people” you mean those monsters out there?”

“Yes, but don’t be fooled! They are all so very nice! Maybe a little gossipy, but nice nonetheless! You have nothing to fear, so to speak!” he chuckled. The small pun made her crack a small smile at that and for a moment she forgot the pain. Cassandra is a sucker for puns.

“You all sound very nice and a skeleTON of fun,” she joked back. A massive grin spread across the skeleton’s face.

“Now that is what I like to hear,” he laughs. After a moment of gaining his composure, he looked a little concerned. “Now back to your injuries. How are they?” She looked down at her hand and tried to bend her fingers. Pain instantly shot through her arm as she hissed and clutched it close to her chest.

“I think I broke it, but other than this I’m just a little sore and have a few scrapes,” she grunted.

“Oh dear, well I suppose I will take you to see some help once you feel a little better on going outside, but as I can see you’re not ready for that.” She smiled softly at him and he returned it.

“Thank you, uh…” she realized she didn’t know her own saviors name.

“Oh!” he stands up quickly and turns to her. “My name is Jack! Jack Skellington! I am, as I said before, the Pumpkin King and ruler of Halloween Town!” he exclaimed with a bow.

“Oh! Uhhh…” she said in realization that the title was serious and stood up as well. “My name is Cassandra. Uh…your majesty?” She did a small bow in return.

“Please! Just call me Jack! I am not like those kind of kings. Think of me as a friend instead.”

“A-a friend?” This was new to her. Very new.

“Of course! I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends!” he replied while placing a bony hand on her shoulder. She looked down at her wrist to the bracelet with no emotion on her face. Jack noticed something off about this.

“Friends.” The moment was interrupted by a low grumble from the pit of her stomach. Her cheeks began to redden in embarrassment. “Sorry. I’m a little hungry.”

“When did you last eat?” She blinked as she remembered when that was. She hadn’t eaten much except for a piece of toast yesterday morning. That’s right! She hadn’t eaten her dinner!

“Oh man! I haven’t eaten for a while now!” she realized before picking up her bag and going through it. The dinner she had packed was still there and still good. “Do you mind if I eat here?” she asked.

“Not at all go ahead!”

She sat back down, with him following, and began opening her food. The moment she tore open her food, her hunger took over and she began to devour it in minutes like an animal. Jack’s eye sockets seemed to stretch impossibly wider at the sight. His smile however, never left and his face showed intrigue. She looked over the room then at him mid chew on the last bite of her food.

“So, uh, I gotta admit even though you’ve told me where I am, I still don’t think I understand. I’m still very, very,” she swallows,” lost. I’m still not even sure how I got here! I was in the middle of the woods and there was a bunch of trees with doors on them-“

“Doors? Oh! You mean the holiday doors!” She arched an eyebrow.

“You know what I’m talking about?”

“Of course. As the King of Halloween, I need to know about them! Frankly, I’m the one that found them. They lead to all the holiday worlds and obviously you opened the one with the Pumpkin.” She nodded with confusion written all over her face as she finished her food. Then watched as he got up and walked over to the spiral staircase in the corner. He waved his hand to beckon her over. “Come up and I’ll show you!”

A little hesitantly she stood up, wrapped her bag around her shoulders then followed him up the iron stairs. After about 15 steps, there was a landing leading to a wooden door possibly another floor of the house, but they continued up past it. As they climbed up, Cassandra studied his form in curiosity.

“So, is this all magic? Like with all the monsters and you walking? This world for that matter? Where I’m from, you guys are only known as scary story characters and Halloween decorations. Or heck even dead and in the ground.” He looked over his shoulder at her as they neared the top.

“Possibly, the witch sisters use magic and this is ‘Halloween’ Town.  Although, I have never thought about my people’s existence or my own. Do you ever think about yours?”

She was quiet while his words began to sink in. Her chest was heaving by the time they reached the top and she wiped the sweat off her brow. The demon like design of the statue at the top of the staircase welcomed her to his room. Said room was huge with large windows that had iron spirals and swirls across them as a design. They were also on the windows downstairs if she thought about it. There was torn white silk curtains that covered half of them, but all of them had larger red velvet curtains that were tied to the side. In one corner, red curtains are pulled aside to reveal a fireplace with a small rusty bed resting in front of it.

A dog bed was placed over by a desk in an opposite corner where papers were strewn across it and a roll-in chalkboard waited alongside a small pedestal with Knick knacks on top of it. On the other side of the room was tall bookcases filled with books and Jack went over to them to climb the ladder that was connected to it. He looked around one of the higher shelfs for a moment before pushing the ladder away to slide to another bookcase.

“Aha! Here it is!” he exclaimed triumphantly as he took a dusty red book out. He held it down to her, his long arm reaching her easily as he climbed down. Cassandra took it and found no title, but it had a black stamp of a pumpkin in the corner. “Go ahead and open it! This book has all the knowledge that I know of about the holiday doors and my travels there.”

She followed his instructions and opened it to see journal entries that were written by him. The first page showed an illustration of the circle of trees with the same images she had seen before. His recap of how he fell into the Christmas tree door mimicked her same experience. She looked up at him in surprise then back down at the book.

“I came here the exact same way, but I thought I had died or something,” she paused and looked back up at him. “I’m not dead, am I?” she asked. He lifted a bony hand and grabbed one of hers to check her pulse.

“I’m afraid you’re very much alive, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” he then gestured to the book. “I have been through all the doors and have met all the rulers, each a great world as it is, but none better than my own.” He began walking over to one of the windows and sighed. Cassandra walked over with the book in hand and followed his gaze.

“Whoa!” Any fear of this town seemed to disappear at the sight. The twilight sunset had painted the city in a soft light and windows were being lit up one by one in preparation for the night. Monsters have left the outside gate, and were walking around the town leisurely. “It’s so beautiful! It may not be all that colorful, but it has a beauty.”

“Thank you. It is, isn’t it? Our land of the terrifying and scary may not be the most as you said colorful, but it’s home.”

She turned her head to him to see him still looking out among the city. His face even as a skull was full of pride and love for his world. She could tell he was a caring and good leader. A caring and good friend. Any fear she had with him was gone. He turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s getting dark out and there is a town meeting tonight. It’s about your stay here and the whole town will be there asking about you. We don’t get many outside visitors. What should I tell them? Are you planning on leaving our town any time soon or would you like to stay and rest up before you make a decision?” The sudden realization that she had to make a choice was slightly over whelming considering she hasn’t made her own choices in years.

“Oh I uh…” she bit her lip as she thought. She had woken up in a strange world and was attacked, but everyone seemed so nice, at least for now. Her whole mindset has slightly changed in the confusion, she couldn’t go home now not at least without thinking it through and getting her hand fixed. “Would it be alright if I stayed for a day or two to think things through? I could also use some rest.”

Jack’s smile widened as he clasped his hands together. “Of course! You can stay here at my house for the time being, if you’re ok with the downstairs couch.”

“That’s fine!”

“Great!” he says as he begins walking to the staircase in the middle of the room. “I must be on my way now. Go ahead and read through the book, if you’re still interested. I won’t be gone long! Oh and there’s a washroom downstairs through the door we passed. I’ll be back soon! Make yourself comfortable.” He turned to go down the stairs, when she called for him.

“Jack! If you could, can you tell the monsters that I’m sorry for not meeting them or for fainting when I saw them? I don’t know if they took it as some sort of insult or not.”

He smiled before nodding then took his leave. From atop his tower, she watched his bony figure leave and disappear amongst the many monsters crowding into the building with the clock at the top. She looks down at the book then back at the staircase. _Might as well try and clean myself up a bit._ She set the book down on the desk in the corner of the room before walking downstairs to the door of the washroom.

She opened the door to find a huge wooden room that resembled the living room, but looked more like a dressing room with a tub in the corner. The room had high vaulted ceilings and near the top on 3 sides of them had dirty glass windows that let the sunshine in if there was any. Along the left side of the wall was a long row of suits and costumes. _Jack’s wardrobe perhaps?_ Most of the suits were the same pinstripe he was just wearing, but there seemed to be more patterns and colors as it went on then after a while there was just straight up Halloween costumes of all kinds. Above the suits was a long shelf that held hatboxes of different sizes and below the suits were countless rows of the same kind of black shoes along with a variety of costume shoes. Halfway to the tub, she noticed the clothes stop and pushed closely together as if to make room for more clothes. _Maybe he is intending to buy more?_

On the right side of the room was more shelf space that held a lot of Halloween props and decorations. _This must be some sort of storage for Halloween time too._ There was also two black velvet armchairs with a tall lamp and a small table in between them. _Possibly for others to judge outfits? I’ve seen people on T.V do that._  Straight ahead, where the wall had the biggest window above her, was a decent sized porcelain bathtub with no showerhead but it had white curtains. On the left side of the tub was a tall body mirror and a folded up Victorian style room divider to block anyone from seeing someone who needed privacy. To the right to her surprise, she saw a toilet against the corner with a sink right next to it on the wall.

“Why would he need a toilet? He’s dead,” she asked herself. “What am I even saying? He is a walking, talking skeleton! I don’t think drawing the line at using the toilet would be appropriate.” She set her bag down on one of the chairs and walked up to the mirror. Another tall lamp stood beside it, so with a click she turned it on. Her reflection remained the same as the one she looked into hours ago in the town fountain, maybe even worse. Her face was dirtier and scratched with a busted lip to go along with it. Her hair was a tangled, greasy mess with a few stray pebbles hanging along the strands.

She walked over to the tub and found the water working, so she started filling it up. In her giant bag of things, she pulled a rolled up towel and a small bag with toiletries in it. She had it in her room in case she need to leave in an emergency, like running away. With the tub filled up, she took a much needed bath and the time to clean any injuries missed. They weren’t all that bad except for her hand. She gave those skeletons a beating and to her that was the most badass thing she has ever done! It was awesome! The water felt like heaven on her body and she almost didn’t want to get out, but decided that it would be best to do so.

She carefully got out but left the water in the tub. She dried herself off, freshened herself up then took her dirty clothes and dropped them in the semi soapy water. This was the closest she had to getting them cleaned for now. She went through her bag to find a clean shirt and some sweats, which she happily changed into then dragged the brush she kept in her bag through the bush she called a hair. When that was done, the raven haired girl went to the tub and tried her best to single handedly scrub off mud, dirt, and blood then hung them on the now stretched out room divider to dry. She would have to find some thread to fix up the tears and find a laundry mat somewhere. Finally, when deemed decent enough, she walked back out with her bag and climbed back upstairs.

Jack didn’t seem to be back yet, so she grabbed the book from where she left it to read. She set her bag down and decided to sit down. The large velvet desk chair was a nice feel as she began reading the books contents. Turning page after page, she learned about Jack’s understanding of the other holiday worlds. Ink illustrations followed his descriptions about a land covered in snow and happy elves, chubby cherubs flying through the air, and giant colorful eggs strewn across grassy meadows. He even recounts the time he went to her world to deliver presents in the place of Santa Clause. _How is it that no one has ever found the trees in my world?_ _Scientists and people all over the world would have flocked to them in a second! How did I find them?_ According to the book, the doors in this realm lay deep in the forest called the Hinterlands. _Would that be the way home? Or would it be one of the graves that Jack has mentioned?_

Deep in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the front door open and someone trekking up the stairs then almost jumped out of her skin when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Her head whipped over her shoulder to see Jack looking down at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you, not this time at least. You look a lot better now. Did you wash up?”

“It’s alright, and uh, yeah. I really needed it. I also left some clothes hanging on the room divider to dry. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not! Make yourself at home,” He looked over her shoulder to see the journal.” Are you enjoying my findings?”

Nodding her head, she looks back down at the open pages. “It’s interesting and your experiences are really exciting, but I was wondering? Where is the Hinterlands? Would that be my way out?”

“I’m afraid not. I haven’t found a way to get to your world through any of the doors. The only way I suggest is to go through one of the graves.”

“I see,” she sighed before standing back up. “Well, I’m pretty exhausted, so I’m going to go to sleep.”

“Ah, alright! Here!” He walked over to a chest on the other side of his bed and brought out a pile of blankets and a fluffy pillow. “If you need anything, just come up and wake me,” he says as he hands her the blankets and her bag.

She takes it with a smile holds it close. “Thank you Jack. For everything.”

Just as she was about to head down the stairs, Jack suddenly calls for her. “Oh wait! Tomorrow, I would like to take you out for lunch and if you’re comfortable enough, a tour of my lovely little town. Would that be alright?”

She blinks up at him in surprise. _Someone wants to take me out? And it’s voluntary?!_ “I, uh, sure,” she replied without thinking about it.

“Fantastic! I’ll come and get you sometime in the afternoon. I have to leave the house early, so don’t be frightened to see me leaving. You’ll be safe!”

“Ok. Uh, goodnight!”

“Goodnight! Sweet nightmares!”

She made her way downstairs and set up her little bed. From where she was laying, the moonlight was shining through the window onto her feet, casting a blue glow in the room. The stars in the distance were a comfort to see in this different world. The fatigue was finally setting in with the physical and mental exhaustion pushing it faster. Finally comfy, her eyelids drooped and she fell into a deep sleep with a little excitement for the day to come.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best to describe the environment because it’s supposed to be more of the perspective of Cassandra, but it was extremely difficult so I’m sorry if it confused you. I also made up parts of Jack’s house like where she woke up because of course we have never seen that part of Jack’s house in the movie. If you want a better idea of what you’re seeing, obviously you can see the movie or ask me and I’ll show you screenshots I based them on. Hope it was decent.

**Author's Note:**

> Creative criticism is welcome!


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